The Red Circle is Sherlock's home in Washington DC. Now in our eighth decade, we continue to celebrate his immortality and enjoy each other's company. All are welcome to join us and share our interest in all things Sherlockian and Doylean.
Welcome
The Red Circle is Sherlock's home in Washington DC. Now in our eighth decade, we continue to celebrate his immortality and enjoy each other's company. All are welcome to join us and share our interest in all things Sherlockian and Doylean.
Next Meeting
To Be Announced
Red Circle Luncheon Meeting
Watch This Space
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Archives
All times US prevailing Eastern
2026
- April 23 - May 17 Miss Holmes Returns to the Fells Point Corner Theatre in Baltimore. Holmes and Watson return for an encore as Victorian women in Christopher Walsh's gender-bending take on our heroes. Information and tickets here.
- June 12 - 29 The Reluctant Resurrection of Sherlock Holmes by D. M. Belke at the Arts Barn in Gaithersburg. Information and tickets here.
- September 25 - October 4 The Game's Afoot, presented by the Rockville Little Theatre.Here's a great opportunity to see one of Ken Ludwig's funniest Sherlockian plays. What happens when a Sherlockian actor must become a real-life detective to solve a crime that happens at his very own mansion? Gillette anyone? Brilliant comic twists from the Red Circle's own Ken Ludwig. If you haven't seen this one, you should! And if you have seen it you should see it again. Information and tickets are here.
- October 23 - 24 It's Always 1895: An Exploration of the Life and Work of Vincent Starrett The Torists International of Chicago will host what promises to be an important conference centered around one of history's most illustrious Sherlockians. Registration is now open and you can get information here.
For a much more comprehensive list of Sherlockian meetings and events around the United States and beyond, see Ron Fish's
Sherlockian Calendar.
The Slavering Hound by Frederick Dorr Steele is an unpublished drawing for the 1939 Basil Rathbone Hound of the Baskervilles film. It was shown in the program for the film and featured in the 1951 Festival of Britain exhibition
Our namesake story examined "The Red Circle" (the short story, not our merry band) is the subject of the 33rd episode of "Sherlock Monthly," an online video offering from the Rosenbach Library in Philadelphia. The episode airs live on April 18, and will be archived and available for viewing via recording after that. It's all free, and the upcoming schedule, links to past episodes and more are available here. Highly recommended 
March Meeting notes available 49 members of the Red Circle took advantage of fine spring weather to celebrate Sherlock Holmes at The Red Circle's spring luncheon. Speaker Matt Hall's exploration of a fascinating photograph (or two!) of the Dancing Men was the highlight. You'll enjoy Carla Coupe's meeting notes here. Birthday Bash in the Books Another Sherlock Holmes birthday weekend has wrapped up in New York, and Scott Monty has published a rundown of many of the highlights. You can read it here.
Red Circle 75th Anniversary Party in the books; acclaimed a smashing success November 15 was a red letter day for the Red Circle, as we celebrated our 75th with a spectacular screening of three century-old and brilliantly restored Eille Norwood films at the American Film Institute's Silver Theatre, and an equally spectacular celebration dinner after the curtain came down. Carla Coupe's Meeting Notes, along with some nice photos, are available here. To read a classic Strand Magazine article about Eille Norwood's portrayal of Sherlock Holmes, click here.
To see a short documentary on the restoration of the Norwood films, click here.
A Deep Dive into our Namesake Story Alexander E. Braun regularly posts expansive looks at Canonical stories at the Hounds of the Internet. He's given the OK to repost his 2025 take on "The Adventure of the Red Circle" here for all of us to see. It's fascinating. Take a look.
The Red Circle enjoyed a late summer luncheon meeting, featuring Cattleya Concepcion as our guest speaker. Carla Kaessinger Coupe's meeting notes document the details of this enjoyable afternoon.Videos of three more Red Circle meetings now available We’ve added three videos to our growing collection, and we’re pleased to invite you to screen them. Ira Brad Matetsky's June 25 talk on "Sherlock Holmes and Washington" is available here; Burt Wolder’s June 2024 talk on “Arthur Conan Doyle: Adventurous Life, Enduring Memories,” is available here; and Olivia Rutigliano’s March 2025 reflections “On Charles Dickens’s Magician-Detectives” is available here. Thanks to Matt Hall for making the recordings and to Kyle Brimacombe for his post-production work. While you’re at it, click on the “Writings + Videos” tab in the Archives box above for links to all 19 Red Circle videos available for you to watch.
Scuttlebutt: One Fixed Point in a Changing Age Our own Peter E. Blau's monthly Scuttlebutt from the Spermaceti Press has endured for more than 50 years, and has a permanent home right here on our website. It's the most remarkable collection of Sherlockian news and notes anywhere, and your webmaster recommends a monthly visit. The very latest edition is available now, as are past numbers. It's just a click away--use the "Scuttlebutt" button at the top of the page.
- Be an Inner Circle Contributor We welcome submissions from all quarters for this page. Please direct materials to the webmaster, alan@redcircledc.org
- For earlier, archived items from The Inner Circle, click here.
